Method of making chocolate



Aug 33.7 1943. J. F. MCCASHEN METHOD QF MAKING CHOCOLATE Original FiledDec. 23, l98

2. A vw INVENTOR. JAMES F'MCCASHEN BY 2 7A TTOiP/VEYS Patented Aug. 17,1943 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE luiz'rnon or cnocomrn James. F.McCashen, Bay Village,

Cutters, Inc.,

to Rotary corporation of Ohio Ohio, assignor Cincinnati, Ohio, a

Original application December 23, 1938, Serial No.

Claims.

This invention relates to the art of cutting materials and isparticularly concerned with a new and improved method of makingchocolate from cocoa beans.

In the drawing accompanying and forming a part of this specification,

Figure 1 is a diagrammatic, side elevational view of one form ofapparatus embodying the present invention and suitable for use incarrying out the present process;

Figure 2 is a fragmentary sectional view taken on line 22 of Fig. 1;

Figure 3 is a fragmentary sectional view taken on line 3-3 of Fig. 2;

Figures 4 and 5 are, respectively, side and edge views of one form of asuitable, rotatable comminuting member;

Figures 6 and 7 are corresponding views of another and modified form ofcomminuting member; and

Figure 8 is an enlarged fragmentary detail sectional View taken on line6-8 of Fig. 1.

The apparatus shown in the drawing is generally like that of UnitedStates Patent No. 1,738,918. It has a cylinder I which is supported onrollers 2 carried by housing 3, so that the cylinder may rotate aboutits longitudinal, horizontally disposed axis. The cylinder is rotated bybelt 4 which passes around the greater part of the circumference of thecylinder and is actuated by a pulley 5 driven by a belt 6 from motor 7.The idler roller 8 maintains the desired tension on the belt 4.

Within the cylinder is disposed the rotatable comminuting devicegenerally indicated as an entirety at 9. This device 9 consistspreferably of a plurality of discs I6 secured to a rotatable shaft II,the longitudinal axis of which is horizontal and is disposed adjacent tothe downwardly moving side of the cylinder and below a horizontal planepassing through the axis of cylinder I and well to one side of avertical plane passing through the same axis. Preferably, the axis ofdevice {is disposed on a plane passing thru the axis of the cylinder andinclined between about 30 and 60 degrees to a vertical plane passingthrough the axis of the cylinder I. Device 9 is partly enclosed byhousing I2 and is rotated by belt I3 from motor 1. Both-cylinder l anddevice 9 rotate in the same direction, but the peripheral speed ofdevice 9 is preferably much greater than that of cylinder I.

The periphery of device 9 is preferably roughened, for example, as shownat H and I5 in Figs. a, 5, 6 and 7. It will be noted that the roughen-Divided and this application April 6,

ing of discs II), as shown in these figures, takes the form of teeth,the leading transverse surfaces of which are substantially perpendicularto the side surfaces of members III, and that these teeth may extendforwardly from their roots to their tips in the direction of rotation.These teeth may have outwardly converging side surfaces as shown'in Fig.5, or the teeth may have set as in a saw and as is shown in Figs. 6 and7. It will be understood that device 9 may have various forms other thanthat shown. .For example, it may have an uninterrupted periphery, i.'e., one free from teeth such as I4 and I5 of Figs. 4 and 6, or it maybe a partial or mutilated disc with a circumferentially extending edge.

A deflector I6 is disposed within cylinder I to divert the material fromits travel along a circular path on the inner surface of the cylinderinto contact with the comminuting means 9. The deflector shown istriangular in cross section with its apex being uppermost and with itsupper outer edge I! resting against the inner surface of cylinder I andits inner surface I9 making an obtuse angle with the inner surface ofcylinder I. Deflector I6 is carried by opposite arms 20 rotatablymounted at their upper ends on bolts 2| which project thru slots inbrackets 22 secured to housing 3 and blocks 23 which may slide onarcuateguides 24 on brackets- 22. The position of deflector I6 may beadjusted by loosening nuts on bolts 2| and shifting blocks 23 and may beflx'ed by tightening the nuts. This apparatus permits movement of thedeflector away from the inner surface of cylinder I and also permitsadjustment of the deflector into positions at difierent distances fromdevice 9.

It will be understood that by placing deflector I6 in difierentpositions relative to device 9 the material may be deflected so as tostrike device 9 more or less radially or tangentially or between theseextremes, as desired. It has been found that there is slightly lessheating of thematerial during the' comminuting operation when thematerial strikes device 9 substantially tangentially than when itstrikes device 9 substantially radially. For example, when cocoa beansare being comminuted the temperature of the material may average aboutdegrees F., when it strikes device 9 more or less tangentially ascompared with about degrees F., when it strikes more or less radially.However, the speed of comminuting is most rapid when the material is sodeflected to strike device 9 morc or less radially.

The apparatus of the device shown in the drawings, operatessubstantially as follows: When the cylinder l and device 9 are beingrotated clockwise, as indicated, a material to be comminuted is broughtinto the cylinder I, preferably just above device 9 and between it andthe cylinder, altho the material may be brought into contact with theinner surface of cylinder l below the device 9. Such material willimmediately be subjected to centrifugal force by the cylinder and willbe carried by the cylinder along the circular path of the inner surfaceof the cylinder. When the material, being so carried by the cylinder I,comes into contact with deflector I6, the material will be deflectedfrom the circular path of the cylinder and into contact with theroughened surfaceson device 9. These surfaces, or teeth, will forciblyintercept the thus deflected material and will throw it back onto theinner surface of the cylinder. The-sizes of particles of material sointercepted will be reduced by the roughened surfaces on device 9 eitherby a shearing or splitting action when the particles strike thosesurfaces and the edges thereof. Such portions of the material as are notintercepted by the roughened surfaces will pass between members In andwill return to the inner surface of the cylinder by reason of theirvelocity or gravity, or both. Since the material is repeatedly exposedto the air while passing from the cylinder surface to the device 9 andback to that surface with violent agitation in the air, it is thoroughlyserrated. Such aeration apparently has a beneficial efiect on thecomminuted product. The flavor of oils from vegetable materialscomminuted by this method and apparatus seems to be improved as comparedwith oils produced by prior methods. This improvement may be due to theopening of more oil cells and the resultant release of more flavor whichis in the cells.

While the above described apparatus is suitable for comminuting a widevariety of materials, it is particularly useful in comminutingoilbearing materials from which it is desired to liberate or remove theoil content, such for example, as cocoanut meat, cocoa beans, peanuts,cotton seeds, palm kernels and in general any vegetable oil-containingmaterials.

In employing the apparatus of Figs. 1 to 8 and method of this inventionon such materials, it has been found that when the cylinder was about 54inches in diameter and was rotated at about 115 R. P. M. and there wereabout 96 members 40, each about 16 inches in diameter and spaced aboutA" and filled the space between the said flanges of the cylinder andwere rotated at about 2500 R. P. M., about 100 lbs. of dried, shreddedcocoanut meat could be reduced to 100 mesh screen size in about 12minutes. Most of the oil content of the meat is liberated during suchcomminution and may be separated from the fibers in any suitable manner,if desired.

When cocoa beans, substantially free from hulls, are comminuted by theapparatus just described, about 200 lbs. may be reduced in about 18minutes to particle sizes such that about 99% will pass thru a 200 meshscreen. It has been noted that when cocoa beans are being so comminuted,a white, thin vapor rises from the material during the first few, forexample three, minutes of the comminuting operation and is followed by athin, bluish vapor which continues to rise during the remainder of theoperation. When the beans have been reduced to a coarse size, forexample possibly 40 or 50 mesh, the

material is dry but as the particles become smaller, oil is liberatedand the material includes more and more liquid until, when the operationis completed, the material contains solids and liquid and has aviscosity of about 28 to 30 on a standard, MacMichael torsion wireviscosimeter.

The chocolate liquor so obtained has a much lower viscosity than thematerial obtained from the same kind of beans by prior methods, wherethe viscosity was about 70 to 72. This property of low viscosity isquite valuable in the subsequent manufacture of chocolate. Apparentlythe different viscosities are traceable to differences in shapes of thesmall particles, the particles comminuted by the present method andapparatus being granular as contrasted with the fiattened flake-likeparticles of prior methods and apparatus. Sugar and/or milk may be addedto this liquor to make a chocolate coating.

Furthermore, chocolate made from cocoa beans, cut by this process, has adistinctly better flavor and quality than chocolate obtained from cocoabeans by prior methods.

Many other materials may be reduced to particle sizes from 50 to 60 meshdown to mesh or finer by the above described apparatus and method. Forexample, cereals such as wheat and oats may be comminuted withproduction of particles of substantial uniformity in size and with muchless dust, powder or chaff than is possible with prior methods andapparatus. For example, when cereals having hulls, such as wheat, oatsand the like, are comminuted by this method and apparatus, both thehulls and the kernels are reduced to small particle sizes without theproduction of a material amount of bran or hull chaff.

From the foregoing disclosure it will be understood by those skilled inthe art that the present invention makes it possible to reduce a widevariety of different materials to particles which are substantiallyuniform in size and which may range in size from 50 or 60 mesh to 200mesh; that such fine particles may be obtained much faster and cheaperthan has been possible heretofore and without any harmful increase intemperature; and that the fine materials possess new and improvedproperties not heretofore obtainable by any prior process or apparatus.

This application is a division of my copending application Ser, No.247,385 filed December 23, 1938.

Having thus described the present invention so that those skilled in theart may be able to understand and practice it, I state that what Idesire to secure by Letters Patent is defined in what is claimed.

What is claimed is:

l. The method of making chocolate which includes the steps of cuttingcocoa beans and parts thereof while rapidly moving in the air,permitting liberated vapors to escape from the thus comminuted materialoil, retaining oil liberated from said material, and repeating suchsteps until the comminuted material oil has a viscosity of about 30, asmeasured by a standard Mac- Michael torsion wire viscometer.

2. The method of making chocolate which includes the steps ofcomminuting cocoa beans and parts thereof while rapidly moving in air bystriking such material with the edges of comminuting means moving at ahigh velocity, permitting liberated vapors to escape from the materialbeing comminuted, retaining oil liberated from said material andrepeating such steps until the material has a viscosity of about 30, asmeasured by a standard MacMichael torsion wire viscometer.

3. The method of making chocolate which includes the steps of subjectingmaterial composed of cocoa beans and parts thereof to centrifugal forceand moving it rapidly in a circular path, deflecting such material fromsaid path thru the air, reducing the sizes of the particles of suchmaterial by striking them while they are in the air with the peripheraledges of rapidly rotating cutting means, permitting liberated vapors toescape and retaining oil liberated from said material, and repeatingsaid steps until the sizes of the particles of said material are betweenabout 50 mesh and about 200 mesh.

4. The method of making chocolate which includes the steps of subiectingmaterial composed of cocoa beans and parts thereof to centrifugal forceand moving it rapidly in a circular path, deflecting said material fromsaid path thru the air and into contact with the peripheral edges ofrapidly rotating planar comminuting means disposed at right angles tosaid circular path while retaining liberated oil in contact with saidmaterial, and repeating said steps until the material has a viscosity ofabout 30 as determined by a standard MacMichael torsion wireviscosimeter.

5. The method of making chocolate which includes the steps of subjectingmaterial composed of cocoa beans and parts thereof to centrifugal forceand moving it rapidly in a circular path, deflecting such material fromsaid path and into contact with the peripheral edges of rapidly rotatingplanar comminuting means disposed at right angles to said circular path,and repeating said steps until the sizes of the particles of saidmaterial are on the order of about 200 mesh and the material includingsolids and liberated 20 oil has a viscosity of about 30 MacMichael.

JAMES F. MCCASHEN.

